POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL 91 



human heart than mere loss of property, 

 and the scarred backs of American seamen, 

 and their tales of humiliation and servitude, 

 did more to fire the American heart and 

 kindle bitter resentment against England 

 than all her restraints on trade. 



And so we drifted into war, a needless 

 war, a hopeless war, and yet a war justified 

 by a hundred aggressions. In 1807 many 

 had recognized its proximity, some had 

 actually advised it, but all had seen that we 

 were ill prepared. Five years had passed 

 since the embargo, time enough to double 

 or treble our navy, to put our army on a 

 respectable footing and assume a position 

 commensurate with our commercial impor- 

 tance and wealth. And what preparation 

 had been made for a contest with the first 

 power in Europe ? Absolutely none. 



The little navy of 1807 had been in- 

 creased by one small vessel. 1 The regular 



1 The navy of the United States in 1807 consisted of 

 three heavy frigates, the "Constitution," "President" 

 and "United States"; three 38-gun frigates, the "Con- 



